Improvement in sewing-machines



J. E. A. GIBBS.

Sewing Machine.

Patented Oct. 12, I858.

UNIT D STATES JAMES E. A. GIBBS, OF MILL POINT, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 21,75I, dated October12, 1858.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES E. A. GIBBs, of Mill Point, in the county ofPocahontas and State of Virginia, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accom' panyingdrawings, which form part of this specification, and in which Figure 1represents a side elevation of a sewing-machine constructed according tomy improvement; Fig. 2, a front end elevation thereof; Fig. 3, aninverted plan of the cloth bed or table, with the mechanism arranged 011the under side thereof for operation in connection with the needle; Fig.4, a view in detail, showing the needle, needlestock, and mode ofattaching the latter to the arm or crank-shaft which operates theneedle; and Figs. 5 and 6 represent in detail or detached in differentpositions the several devices more immediately pertaining to theformation of the stitch and holding of the material to be sewed.

My improvement relates to that class of sewing-machines in which asingle thread is used to produce a series of chainstitches by the jointaction of a hook and needle, and in which the material being sewed isfed by the needle.

In the accompanying drawings the driving grooved or cam wheel A is shownarranged in the rear on a shaft projecting from a standard, a,of thebed-plate B. This wheel has its operating-groove b on its inner face,into which groove the wrist-pin c of a crank, 0, fits, said crank beingattached to the vibrating needle-shaft D, and the groove 1) of the wheelso shaped as during each revolution of the wheel the needle-shaft D is,by the connection of it with the wheel, as specified, vibrated twice.

The needle-shaft D, which works in suitable bearings, projects towardthe front of the machine, and terminates at its front in a bent arm orcrook, d. This crook 11 carries on a pivot-pin, e, which projects infront from the lower end of the crook, the needle stock or holder E,that is formed with a nozzle on one side to hold the needle f, and onthe opposite side of the pivotpin c with a curved arm, 9,

which serves, in connection with an adjustable stop-screw, h, in thecrook, to control the length of the stitch or feed given by the needle,as hereinafter described.

The needle-holder E, which turns loose 011 the pivot-pin c, has attachedto it a spring, '5, that hooks at its detached end, at intervals, onto apin, j, which projects from the vibrating crook (Z, the office of whichspring and action is to restrain in an elastic manner the turning of theneedle-holder E, when the swinging of the crook (1 brings and keeps theneedle f in gear with the notched needle-guide F during the commencementof the down and finishing portion of the up stroke of the needle. Thisneedle-guide F consists of an arm,

crank, or lever arranged in direction of thelength of the feed, with itsaxial support is at right angles to the needle-feed. It is suitablyformed at its outer end to guide the needle during the periods alreadyspecified of the needle-stroke, the use and necessity of a needle-guideat these points being well known, and is made capable of adjustment atits axial support, so as to change the position of its forward guidingend to suit different needles and needle strokes, feeds, or actions, inmaking which adjustment it .will be seen there is not by thisarrangement any tendency to press laterally on the needle relatively tothe line of feed, at least no tendency to press on one side more thanthe other, whereby the straight line of feed of the needle is preservedduring all adjustments of the said guide, and the hang and the manner ofadjusting said guide admit of the nicest particularity of back orforward adjustment of the needle-guiding portion being made by slightlyraising or lowering said portion without loss of time in effecting saidadjustment or objectionably small action of the hand of the operator inmaking a small adjustment.

The cloth-holder G is here represented of a lever formation and hung inthe axial support or bolt of the needle-guide; but such mode ofsuspension may be changed. A thumb latchpiece, Z, serves to free theholder, when required, from all grip on the cloth when necessary toremove it from the table H, insert fresh cloth, or as circumstances mayrequire; but in the regular action of the machine while sewing thecloth-holder G is not raised from all grip or frictional hold on thecloth, either during the occasional feed of the cloth or ot hwise, buthas a continuous spring-pressure applied to it to produce grip on thecloth by means of a Spring, I, attached at its one end to the holder,and having its other end project on the vibrating needle-shaft D, whichcarries tance from it, also underneath the table, is a spring-hook, J,or hook hung at the end of a spring fastened at its rear end, 0, butleft free to vibrate withthe hook in front across thelineof feed. Thishook co-operates with the needle, and the proper adjustment of theformer to the latter is or may be effected by a screw, 7, acting on thehook or spring in front. The needle-thread passes from a spool, M,through a take-up projection, S, on theside of the vibratingneedle-shaft, and through an eye in the pivot-pin e of the{needle-holder, down to and through the eye of the needle. Upon turningthe driving-wheel A in either direction, the action of the parts andfeed being the same in whichever direction the wheel turns, the crook dis vibrated each revolution of the driving-wheel a suitable distance onone side of a vertical line or plane which, if extended, would bisectthe needle-shaft longitudinally. Supposing the parts to be situated asin Fig. 5, in which the crook d is supposed to be commencing a movementfrom right to left, the spring 2' of the needle-stock E, clipping thestudy on the needle-shaft, keeps the needlef firm to the upper guide, F,and retains it in such contact until the needle has penetrated the clothand table in its descent, which latteris effected by the swing bythecrook (1. During the continued descent of the needle against and downpast or over the spring-hookJ the needle-leaves the upper guide, F. Whenthe needle arrives in the position shown in Fig. 6, the further swingingof the crook dto the left, and till the crook arrives in a verticalposition, causes-the pointed end of the needle to be swung back alongthe under guide, a, and on the crook reversing its action from left toright the pointed end of the needle is'vibrated forward again along theunder guide, a, and throws the loop of the thread over the hook J, andthe retraction of the needle then proceeding, the needle is thrown intospring-hold and guiding-gear or contact again with the upper guide, F,for the closing portion of the needles retraction. The hook J being ofan elastic character, while it is restricted from motion in everydirection but to one side, (crosswise of the feed,) readily allows ofthe needle, by slight pressure on it, passing and slightly moving it,which does away with the springing of the needle, that exposes it tobeing bent or breakage, for the throwing of the loop over the hook andtoadmit of the needle passing the projecting hook.

The cloth is fed by the needle toward the swing of the crook to the leftjust before the needle-point com mences itsreturn-stroke along the underguide, a. The cloth-holder G is not, as before mentioned, altogetherfree from the cloth while feed of the latter has been effected; but itspressure on the cloth is considerably reduced during and about the timeof feed, so as to admit of the easy movement of the cloth by the needle,by reason of the relieving position or diminished thrust of the sidepiece or rod, in, of the needle-shaft on the cloth-holderpressing-spring I at thisperiod. After the 'feed has been effected,however, and during all the intervals of action, when the cloth isrequired to be held firmly on the table, the rocking of the needle-shaftcauses the lever m to depress or act on the spring I, so as to increaseits power on the cloth-holderr Thus the cloth is never left free from aspring-grip on it to keep it steady, is restrained from rising orleaving the table, getting ruffled or out of place or its stitch out ofline, and sufficient freedom given it for feed. Such variable-pressurecloth-holder altogether differs from those intermittent pressure-padswhich cease hold during'the feed or move with the feed, and from thoseconstant-pressure pads or holders whose pressure is not automaticallyvariable, but either press too lightly for firm grip when the clothrequires to be held, or too firmly to admit ofuan easy feed of the clothby the needle from under them. The feed of the cloth takes place, asdescribed, toward the completion of the vibration of the crook d to theleft by the crooked arm 9 of the needle-holder E then coming in contactwith the stop-pin h, which prevents the further swing of theneedle-holder independent of the swing of the crook in the finishingportion of its stroke to the left, and so the cloth is fed by the needleand the degree of feed is regulated by the length of stop-pin protrudingto arrest the independent swing of the needle-holder. needle it entersthe loop left on the hook by the former action of the needle, which isthe action represented as about to be performed in Fig. 5, and, afterhaving passed through the former loop, the needle draws said loop offthe hook in the side swing of the needle along the lower guide, n, andin the reversal of said side action throws a fresh loop of the threadpassed through the former loop over the hook, after which the needleretracts and draws the stitch completed by the addition of the formerloop tight, producing by such action the well-known chain-stitch.

Having thus fully described my improvements in sewing-machines, what Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is a Incombination with an eye-pointed needle In the second descent of thevibrating up and down and back and forth in a plane passing through theline of feed, the spring-hook J or a hook constructed so as to yieldsidewise or laterally of the path of the needle when actuated by saidneedle, in the manner and for the purpose of operating substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing witncsses.

JAMES E. A. GIBBS. Witnesses HENRY A. HORTON, JOHN M. ARNOLD.

